Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1887-03-09
P. L. TIDD'S PROPOSAL.
With the Aid Of q Friend "the
Deed Was Done"

"This," said Mr.. p. Livingston Tidd,
as he rose from restless bed and
perched, by way of change, upon the
rugged top of his trunk, "this is the
cventful day. I'll do it to-day or go
down to the river and fall off pier.
The fact is, you know" he continued,
sliding down from the trunk and ad-
dressing his mirror argumentatively,
I'm beginning to look like Bowery
freak, with all this worry and layin'
awake nights, and it might as well be
settled. To-day do it."
1t was said boldly, but there was a
sheepish look on the haggard face of
p. Livingston Tidd as he recalled the
many previous occasions on which he
had begun the day with similar res
olution and failed utterly TO carry it
out. He turned from the mirror, fell
upon his knees on the floor, and res
cued the photograph of placid-look-
ing young womah from the dust. He
looked at 1t tragically for moment,
and then turned his eyes upward and
said, morosely:
'Oh, woman, woman, whether--no,
whither--art thou leadin' mep"
After this outburst he restored the
photograph to its infantile easel and
PREPARED himself for breakfast.
Mr.. Tidd lived in clearinghouse
where there were four or five other
clerks and statesmen, a retired grocer,
two ''lady stenographers' they
styled themselves-a family of chill
drep, and miscellaneous assortment
Of Eum and hsart-sick relatives of the
landlady. The relatives devoted most
of their time to accommodating loads of
gloom of various degrees of intensity
during tho day and spending the
evening in abusing the landlady on
whose bounty they lived.
(which, when looks UNI over" the
landlady said, confidentially, one night
to Mr.. Tidd at dinner, with wave of
her hand toward the down-cast depend
epts TT amt to be wondered at that
gifts an occasernul Jog onto me-"
"Jsg," interrupted Mr.. Tidd, who
was stickler for correctness in speech.
II mean Jag" said the landlady,
society nomenclature. "Oh, dear,
they've all got the doldrums, blue dew
us, and dumps, an it amt surprisin'
that / turps at times TO GIN"
1T amt, indeed" said Mr.. Tidd,
politely. And as the landlady had
made q confdant of him what more
natural than that he should confide in
herp Then, as she promptly revealed
every thing to the disconsolate rela-
tives and they told the others, it was
pretty we'll Understood in Mrs. Nc
Pherson's clearinghouse that p Liv-
ipgston Tidd, of the lace department of
the great dry-goods house of Billing
ton, Cash e. Co., was i'm love, and
slowly nerving himself up to propose.
A single glance at the unhappy sales
man as he stalked to the breakfast
table on this occasion convinced
them all that he had not declared him
self the night before, and the landlady
compassiohately added another piece
of sugar to his coffee, and skillfully
directed the plate of hot wheat cakes
toward him. This baked the five
hungry and aieTt statesmen on the other
side of the table, and wave of startled
resentment swept over them. The
youngest even went so far as to remark
in q hoarse whisper to his neighbor
that "Tidd's heart might be in a bad
way, but when whoat cakes was floatin'
around his stummick seemed to git
there with both feet, so to speak"
But there is no gainsaying the truth
that all the world loves lover, and be-
fore breakfast was over the meager
appetite OF the unhappy Tidd had en-
dearcd him to the most rabid wheat
cake eater of them all. There was a
set look about the mouth and CLASSY
expression of the eye when the sales
man strobe out that did not pass un-
noticed.
(Which II certain party don't up
aud do IL to-day Mrs. Mcpherson re-
parked, thoughtfully, as she' leaned
her elbow on the table and tapped her
teeth elegantly with q spoon, I'm
very much mistaken; but" with n cut
ting glance around, ''if the word of
certain stuffy persons what suffers un-
common hard from low sperits is relia-
bic, I'm mistaken very often"
Meanwhile Mr.. r. Livingston Tidd
was on his way 10 'fhe store" Of
which he always spoke with such rev.
erential respect. The business of the